Anxiety and How to Combat It — Slowly

These days I seem to feel anxious a good deal of the time. I wake up and read the The New York Times and end the day watching Jon Stewart.

Just those two things can make you feel anxious because you're reminded just how bad things really are.

And of course in between I feel anxious because my world is in a constant state of rush and distraction. Little time to sit and do nothing.

I realized the other day, though, that there is a time when this anxiety recedes. When I'm hanging out in congenial company, just passing the time of day, talking about nothing important, just laughing and enjoying ourselves.

It works so much better than pills. But don't expect the health care industry to tell you that. There's not much money in encouraging people to hang out with their friends.

I think a lot of people feel anxious, and this just might be what we need to do: to realize that we need each other a lot more than we need drugs, consumer goods, possessions, money and status.